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HOW I LOST 10KG (AND KEPT IT OFF, FOR NOW)

Sunday, 22 October 2017

Firstly, I want to take a moment to congratulate past (June) Giana for deciding to finally commit to this 'healthy lifestyle/fitness journey' and actually sticking to it. More over I gave myself the challenge of losing 10kg by graduation (5th November) so hey, go me! Did it mean eating kale and chicken for 4 months? No, because then I could have probably lost it by August but would have been a big meatball by now again. We all know that muscle weighs more than fat, so aside from that I've lost around 3 inches from my waist, hips and all that jazz. If you're looking to shift a bit of weight or just here to have a nosey, here are some of the tips I followed to lose weight - P.S here's me sweating like a pig at the top of the Rock of Gibraltar.

EAT A LITTLE BIT LESS, AND BETTER

To start with the obvious, to start seeing a difference on the scale you have to be burning more calories than you consume. This doesn't mean you have to burn 1,200 at the gym because our body is burning those numbers whilst we're asleep and watching TV too. I currently aim between 1,200 to 1,400 a day to lose weight and 1,800 to maintain. I've mentioned MyFitnessPal in a few of my blog posts and it's deffo my holy grail for tracking what I'm eating, my macros and nutrients (and how many calories I have left to indulge in some dark chocolate at the end of the day). I lost 6kg through diet alone before joining a gym, remember what you eat makes up 80% of the results. Diet wise I haven't been super strict, I've been enjoying a 500 calorie lunch, a snack in the afternoon and then dinner is mainly protein and veg.

MOVE YOUR BODY GIRL (OR BOY)

When it comes to exercise, I've been quite the lazy poo during my time at university. The only time I exercised was when I was dancing until 3am in Cameo. What did help me this summer was attending all of the day parties/festival which according to my app contributed to 20,000 steps a day, so thanks Steve Aoki. Even though you can lose a lot of weight through just eating well, to get that toned lean look you need to get those muscles working.

I try and workout 4/5 times a week, but Sundays I try and do something outdoors such as sweating to death up the Med Steps. Don't neglect the weights either as as they grow, you'll burn more calories whilst you're resting. I'm no pro, so if you're looking for gym motivation or workout ideas Whitney Simmons and Heidi Somersare my favourite fit gals to watch on Youtube.

INTERMITTENT FASTING

This was hard at first because it's not easy to sit through a movie or show on Netflix with nothing to chew on. For those of you who haven't heard of the term, intermittent fastingis basically fasting for a period of time, in this case for 16 hours (8pm-12pm). Which sounds horrible but you're asleep for most of it. The first few days it took some adjusting but also gave me more time in the morning as I didn't have to prepare breakfast. I've been consuming my meals in an 8 hour window, usually 1pm-9pm and have found that I've been full the whole time and have been slowly moving down the scale again.

DRINK UNTIL....

To put it bluntly, I try and drink enough water daily that my pee pee is clear by the end of the day. Which is usually 2 and a 1/2 litres. I still drink a coffee and tea throughout the day and try and start the morning with an apple cider vinegar cocktail (APV, water, honey, lemon) but the taste definitely takes some getting used to. In a perfect world I would have cut out alcohol completely, but I have trained myself to like Gin & Slimline Tonics which only come at 50 calories per glass!

TREAT PIZZA LIKE YOUR DISTANT FAMILY MEMBER

For anyone who knows me, I am a carb queen. I love pizza, pasta, cheesy garlic bread and basically anything that makes me bloat like Pooh Bear. However, I've been trying to limit my white carbs and instead have been eating quinoa and complex carbs. That doesn't mean I don't treat myself here and there, life is too short to eat a salad at a fancy restaurant because MyFitnessPal will tell you off for going over by 1000 calories.

SUPPLEMENTS

Health wise, I currently take are Holland & Barrett multivitamins that almost made me throw up on the first day, so make sure you don't take these on an empty stomach. I have anaemia so these ensure my iron levels are fine and I don't fall asleep at my desk by 12pm. When training, I take BCAAswhilst workout out, which for me help fuel my workout and recovery time.

My number one love is a good old protein shake. I only take these on the days I workout to reach my protein goal (45%) but wish I could take it every day as for me it just tastes like a chocolate milkshake. I use the brand Nutribuddy and have been using their products for around two years now. You can check out my previous reviews on their protein powders and breakfast shakes. I've currently been trying out their vegan powders which includes 17g of protein per serving. I take mine straight after a workout and alternate between coconut milk, almond milk and hazelnut milk. If you want to switch it up and make a protein breakfast smoothie with it, then add half a banana, 2 tbsp of peanut butter and cacao powder for a delightful treat.

BE REALISTIC

Lastly, if you're wanting to make a permanent change know that it won't be done in a month or two, unless you're just trying to slip in a dress and then go back to normal. I've pretty much changed my diet completely and now it's my lifestyle. Even though I'm proud of my achievement I'm going to keep working hard so in a years time I can be even prouder (god I'm cheesy). Hopefully in 5 years I can write a post about finally getting rid of my bingo wings, but for now flap flap.

I hope this post has been somewhat useful to those of you looking for inspiration and motivation. It just takes that mental chip change to get you started and get you radiating and confident in your own skin.

Gi, you are looking bloody stunning! Your figure is gorgeous with curves in all the right places, you go girl! It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into making real lifestyle changes and the results are really paying off! I lost a bit of weight this year through diet alone (I'm not a massive fan of exercise) which shows just how important a part that plays! MyFitnessPal is an essential in my book too! Fab post, give yourself a pat on the back!

Not going to lie pizza is more like an arm instead of a distant family member lol. I really do need to eat healthier and drink more water. Especially to make my pee clear lol. I try not to stand on the scales and any form of fasting for me would totally freak my whole family out... I don’t think they’ve ever seen me with out something in my mouth. Xxxxxxx good for you though chick and well done!!!! Takes a lot of willpower xxxxxx

Well done you for losing the weight you wanted to lose and keeping it off! I've heard that's the hardest part- keeping it off. I think the good old "eat a little less, move a little more" is so underrated. I wouldn't personally ever do a fad diet - I don't agree with them at all but I currently want to just get fitter and healthier- not necessarily lose weight.

My biggest problem is just being lazy, like I am so lazy it is unreal. I need to be more active around the house and I think I could lose weight ahhaGood job on what you have achieved so far!! xoxwww.emmalanglands.co.uk

You look flippin' unreal girl. Also low key taken every tip into consideration as I need to lose a few pounds lol. I can't believe how great you look. Urh, I'm in love with you!!! Also I've heard about the fasting tip before as jonny is into his natural body-building so I've been doing that lately to try and aid a bit of weightless! Fantastic post as always xx

Gi, you look incredible! I know a little bit about health/fitness as my dad trained as a body builder when I was younger. I've been so rubbish with my diet and fitness since moving to uni. It's so hard when you've had a long stressful day and all you want to do is sit down, watch TV and stuff your face with chocolate!